Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that I am very pleased that there were no cuts or reductions in the funding provided for arts and culture. The provision of an additional €2 million in funding for the national cultural institutions, which was welcomed by all those institutions, arrested all the cuts that unfortunately had to take place. I accept that the cuts made since 2008 averaged between 37% and 40%. It was not easy for the cultural institutions. I commend them on working within very difficult financial constraints. With regard to the method of allocating funding, I knew what the cultural institutions were asking for and I knew what the allocation was. I was keen to ensure all the institutions benefited in some way. There were some particularly acute cases, including the National Museum and the National Library. I wanted to ensure all the cultural institutions benefited. I want the House to be aware that all this was part of an ongoing discussion with the cultural institutions. We meet them on a regular basis and we work with them individually.

In each case, the funding was provided to address specific needs. In terms of their directors and boards, there is ongoing assessment. Not only is there contact at budget time with all of the cultural institutions regarding their plans and needs, but also throughout the year.

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